Craven Arms to lose its last bank this week
Craven Arms will lose its last bank on Friday.
Councillors and local MP= Philip Dunne, campaigned against the closure of Craven Arms's Barclays branch, but now the closure is set to go ahead.
As of midday, Barclays customers will have to use the Church Stretton branch as its nearest bank, or use the Post Office's banking services in Craven Arms. The ATM will remain until April.
This is just the latest in a string of Shropshire bank closures which has seen the last bank in Broseley closed in March this year.
MP Philip Dunne said the situation was "not ideal".
He added: "I am disappointed Barclays decided to close the last bank branch in Craven Arms.
"Following the announcement, I met their regional manager, alongside local campaigners, and secured Barclays agreement to maintain the ATM in town for a further six months, and to work with local businesses to find a host site for a continuing ATM presence in the town.
"This situation is not ideal, but reflects the growing use of online and mobile banking.”
Adrian Davies, Barclays community banking director for the area, said that 57 per cent of the branch's customers now regularly use other branches.
He said: “The way customers undertake their banking is changing as people increasingly use online, telephone and mobile devices.
"At Barclays Craven Arms branch, customer usage has continued to decline and 57 per cent of our customers now regularly use alternative branches, which is why we have taken the difficult decision to close it.
"We hope that the availability of our other Barclays branch at Church Stretton and access to services at the local Post Office located at 1 Coverdale Road, Craven Arms along with our range of digital channels will help to ease the transition for our customers.”
More than 30 banks have closed across Shropshire and its borders in the last five years, with more set to go.
Barclays will close Shifnal’s final bank in October and Llanidloes is set to lose its Barclays in November.
The picture is mirrored across the rest of the UK, with banks in Britain are set to close a record 762 branches this year as lenders cut costs by pushing business online.
